FIRST OF ITS KIND
Are you ready to take your F1 experience to the next level?
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Why not check out the F1 arcade on race day!
Yesterday, the F1 Arcade hosted a sell out watch party for the Bahrain GP. Offering fans unlimited sim racing, games and tournaments pre race.
The F1 Arcade is positioning itself as London’s newest hotspot. And on race days, it certainly has the potential to rival the cost of going to the race track. But does it live up to expectations and is it value for money?
ATMOSPHERE TURNED UP TO A 10
The biggest success has to be the atmosphere. The F1 Arcade have tapped into an essential part of Formula 1, the community.
There really is something special about bringing fans together and once the race started the atmosphere was electric. Whether you’re a Max fan or believe Lewis is the GOAT, nothing beats being surrounded by your people. It doesn’t matter if you’re gathering in your local sports bar or on track, community is so powerful particularly when it comes to passionate fans!
But is there a limit to special? Does special have its limit when too many tickets are sold?
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I don’t know about you, but I don’t like my view of the race blocked. And I wouldn’t want to be standing for 2 hours…
(Top tip, arrive early, or you could be standing!)
F1 ARCADE: INCLUSIVE OR ELITIST?
Formula 1 hotspot or a luxury?
The glitz and glam of this incredible venue certainly comes at a cost on race days.
£249 for VIP.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge F1 Arcade fan but watching the race comes with a hefty price tag.
Yes there was an awesome DJ, shout out to DJ Zoe, and you were offered unlimited racing. But when it’s a race to get a seat for the race, most people didn’t have the opportunity to do much racing.
Just like everything in F1 it’s expensive. You only have to look at the price of Silverstone tickets…
For the average fan it’s not realistic.
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Inclusivity in Formula 1 is something very important to me, and that includes the affordability of fan experiences.
There is so much opportunity for Watch Parties to rival the cost of attending races whilst providing a truly inclusive experience for all.
But right now the prices of tickets combined with £7.76 for a Guinness, its easy for Sundays to be very pricey.
F1 ARCADE NEEDS SEASON UPGRADES
But this was the first race of the season, so like the F1 teams who are getting used to the new cars, the F1 Arcade is getting used to hosting watch parties.
Considering the value for money of the simulator experience it would be great to see Watch Parties match that level of value.
The Pre-Race panel with motorsport presenter and racing driver, Jodie Kidd and former F1 driver, Max Chilton was exclusively for VIPs. But perhaps next time, an opportunity for all guests to ask questions or to have the panel live streamed across the venue would be a great way to include everyone, whilst still offering VIPs a meet and greet.
The pre-race entertainment seemed to fall short particularly in terms of the quiz. Not everyone could take part, let me correct that, 3 people took part. It was a brilliant opportunity to engage all of the venue but it missed the mark.
An online quiz would of been a fun option to get everyone involved. For those who know Kahoot, yes I am talking giant Kahoot style! The quickest person to answer each question could have won a prize, whether that was Arcadian’s (F1 Arcade currency), a free pizza or a gift card. Because watching 3 people answer questions wasn’t very inclusive at all and it certainly wasn’t a huge hit with the audience.
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The F1 Arcade is such an incredible venue and certainly my favourite in London but they could of done more. All the ideas were there but the execution fell short.
But this was race 1 of 23, so I am confident that Watch Parties will develop as we go through the season.
If you want to see what all the fuss is about, make sure to grab your ticket for the Saudi Arabia GP.
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Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.